FROM THE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Dr. Farida Khanam has been a professor at the Department of Islamic Studies
at Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi. A Study of World's Major Religions, A Simple
Guide to Sufism are two of the books amongst others, of which she is the author. She
has also translated many books on Islam authored by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan.
Currently, the chairperson of Centre for Peace and Spirituality (CPS International),
an organization founded by her father Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, she is a regular
contributor of articles to journals, newspapers and magazines. Dr. Khanam has
edited Maulana’s English translation of the Quran and has also translated his
Urdu commentary of the Quran into English. Under Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
Peace Foundation, along with the CPS team, she has designed a series of courses on
peace-building, countering extremism and conflict resolution.
THE IMPORTANCE OF
EDUCATION IN ISLAM
“My Lord! Increase my Knowledge.” (THE QURAN 20: 114)
THE MISSION of the Prophet of Islam has been introduced in the
Quran at more than one place as an instructor of the Book and
a teacher of wisdom. Here is a verse from the Quran:
“It is He who has raised among the unlettered people a
messenger from among themselves who recites His revelations
to them, and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and
wisdom.” ( 62: 2 )
Similarly, on another occasion the Prophet of Islam presented himself
before the people saying, “I have been sent only as a teacher.”
The first word revealed in the form of the Quran was ‘Iqra’ or ‘Read’
( 96: 1 ). The fourth verse of the first revelation forming part of the chapter
Al-Qalam says:
“God has taught man by the pen.” ( 96: 4 )
We find more than 1500 derivatives and synonyms of the word Ilm, that
is, knowledge in the Quran. In this light, it becomes easy to understand
how the revelation of the Quran, in this almost illiterate nation of Arabia set off such a wave of receiving and imparting education which
can rightly be called a learning explosion.
The revolution brought about by this learning explosion ushered in a
new age of highly developed culture and civilization not only in Arabia
but all over the world. This is a fact that has been acknowledged by
historians. For instance, the Indian historian, T. Rama Rao, begins his
biography of the Prophet of Islam with these words:
When he appeared, Arabia was a desert—a nothing. Out of
nothing of the desert a new world was fashioned by the mighty
spirit of Muhammad. A new life, a new culture, a new civilization,
a new kingdom, which extended from Morocco to India and
influenced the thought and life of three continents—Asia, Africa
and Europe. (Life of Muhammad)
Merit of the Learned and the Learners
The Quran and Hadith both hold men of knowledge preferable to
the ignorant ( 39: 9 ). The books of Hadith have a whole lengthy chapter
devoted to the importance of knowledge, and the rewards of teaching
and learning.
For instance, there is a saying of the Prophet that, one who treads a
path in search of knowledge has his way paved to Paradise by God as a
reward for this noble deed. (Bukhari, Muslim)
According to another saying, angels in
heavens, fish in the water and ants in their
dwellings pray for the well-being of a seeker
of knowledge. (Tirmidhi)
In another Hadith, the Prophet of Islam
observed, those who learn virtues and teach
it to others are the best among humankind.
(Al-Bayhaqi)
The mission of the
Prophet of Islam
has been introduced
in the Quran as an
instructor of the
Book and a teacher
of wisdom.
At the time of the revelation, few people could
read and write. They made the maximum use
of their abilities to memorize their learnings, preserving their entire
literary heritage in their memory. There was no trace of any systematic
or organized activity of learning or teaching in Arab society of the time.
But soon after the revelation of the Quran, the trend of education set
in. Everyone who accepted Islam learnt the Quran from the Prophet,
and after learning taught others who desired to learn. In this way, the homes of the early Muslims—Abu Bakr Siddiq, Al-Arqam bin Al-Arqam,
Fatima bint Khattab—turned into centres of learning.
From the very outset, the Prophet appointed scribes who were assigned
to write down the Quranic portions as soon as they were revealed. This
motivated others as well to learn writing so that they might make their
own copies of the holy textbook. It is to be noted that even under lifethreatening circumstances, the Prophet had appointed twelve people
who were most learned amongst them as teachers of the Quran. These
teachers were so sincere and enthusiastic that within a short period
of three years they spread the knowledge of the Quran to almost each
and every home of the tribes of Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj. Hence when
the Prophet arrived at Madinah in the 13th year of his prophethood, he
found all the young and old people of these
tribes well versed in the teachings of the
Quran.
Wisdom is the
believer’s property,
he should try to
take it wherever he
finds it. —Prophet
Muhammad
At the Battle of Badr between the Muslims
and the Makkans, 70 people were taken
prisoner. After consultation with the senior
Companions, the decision was taken that on
a ransom payment of 4000 dirhams each,
they would be set free. Most of the Makkans
being businessmen, knew how to read and
write. But the Muslims in Madinah were
mostly farmers, who did not know how to read or write. Owing to the
importance of education in Islam, it was decided that those prisoners
of war who were not able to pay ransom, should be asked to teach 10
Muslim children in order to secure their freedom. This was the first
proper school in Islam established by the Prophet himself. (Tabaqat,
Ibn Sad)
The learning explosion produced by the first divine word Iqra—
Read!—continued non-stop. It initially began at Makkah and gradually
spread throughout the world. After the demise of the Prophet, the
Companions spread out in the neighbouring countries with the same
spirit of seeking knowledge and imparting it to others. From Makkah
to Madinah to Abyssinia to Iraq to Egypt to Baghdad, this revolutionary
educational movement gradually passed on to Central Asia and the
East, then to Spain and the West.
As a result, there spawned international centres of learning, education
and medicine that served towards multidimensional development in
all spheres of life.
Women were not kept away from these activities. Starting with the
Prophet’s own household, Muslim families provided equal opportunities
to the female members to learn to grow and play a constructive role in
the progress and development of society. A large number of learned
women have found mention in history as authorities on various
Islamic sciences such as Hadith, Islamic jurisprudence, biography of
the Prophet, commentary on the Quran, etc. The Prophet’s own wife,
Aisha, imparted the knowledge and wisdom she received from the first
educator—Prophet Muhammad—for almost half a century. She has
narrated more than two thousand sayings of
the Prophet, and according to Muslim jurists,
these sayings are the source of two thirds of
Islamic laws relating to social, political and
cultural issues.
Starting with the
Prophet’s own
household, Muslim
families provided
equal opportunities
to the female
members to learn
to grow and play a
constructive role in
the progress and
development of
society.
Biographers such as Ibn Khallikan (author of
Waqeya-tul-Ayan), Ibn Sa’d (author of Tabaqat),
Khatib Bhaghdadi (author of Taarikh Baghdad)
and Al-Miqrizi (author of al-Khutal-wal-Athar)
have mentioned the names of thousands of
women and their outstanding contribution
in the field of education and development
in the Muslim world. Noteworthy among
them, for instance, are the two sisters of AlFahri of Morocco, Fatimah and Maryam, the
daughters of Muhammad ibn Abdullah, who
founded the Qayrawan University and the Andalus University in the
historical city of Fas in 859 CE.
The Development of Natural Sciences
The emphasis of Islam on learning and teaching was not confined to
the Quran or the teachings of the Prophet. The Quran, in fact, has given
a new outlook, a new perspective or paradigm as coined by Thomas
Kuhn (The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, 1955). According to this
Quranic paradigm, man’s most important activity being intellectual
contemplation or reflection, he was not supposed to blindly follow any
idea or notion just because it was attributed to his ancestors or some
other authority. He had to ponder on it critically and realistically. That
is why we find that the Quran is replete with hundreds of inspirational
and motivational verses that invite man to reflect on the wonderful
creation of God. For example:
In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation
of night and day, there are signs for people with intelligence,
those who remember God standing, sitting, and lying on their
sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth,
(saying) “Our Lord! You have not created all this in vain (without
purpose), Glory be to You!” ( 3: 190-91 )
This, we can say, was the intellectual seed
which in academic circles is referred to as
the spirit of enquiry. According to Arnold
Toynbee and other world historians, this
spirit of enquiry was the first and foremost
prerequisite for the inauguration of the
scientific era and the elimination of a
superstitious outlook on nature and life. So,
it would not be an exaggeration to say that it
is the Quran that has laid the foundation of
modern science.
The Quran and
Hadith both hold
men of knowledge
preferable to the
ignorant.
On the other hand, the Prophet himself has dealt with day-to-day
problems of life in accordance with this realistic approach taught by the
Quran. Consequently the same realistic approach became an integral
part of the frame of mind of his Companions. They all became curious,
inquisitive and realistic in all matters of life.
For example, once the Prophet passed by an oasis where he found
the farmers, who were date planters, at work. When he asked what
they were doing, he was told that they were pollinating the clusters
of dates in order to produce a better yield. The Prophet expressed his
disapproval of this process. Knowing this, the farmers immediately
stopped it. Later on the Prophet was told that due to lack of proper
pollination, the yield had been very low as compared to the previous
years. On hearing this, the Prophet replied: “You know your worldly
matters better.” (Sahih Bukhari). In other words, experiment and
observation should be the final criterion in such worldly matters.
The invitation of the Quran to enquiry on the one hand, and the
encouragement of the Prophet to engage in direct observation and
reflection on the other, led the Muslims to study everything objectively.
They started learning eagerly from everyone irrespective of their
religious and cultural origins. This trend of insatiable curiosity and
open mindedness motivated the succeeding generations during the
Umayyad and Abbasid times to enthusiastically learn and translate
the cultural legacy of other nations, particularly the Persian, Greek and Roman. Abu Jafar Mansur (714-775 CE) established Bayt al-Hikmah
(The House of Wisdom) where highly paid multilingual scholars were
appointed to translate into Arabic, books on Persian literature, Greek
philosophy, medicine, and other sciences available in those times in
different parts of the world.
This was an actualization of the Prophet’s inspiring words: “Wisdom
is the believer’s property, he should try to take it wherever he finds
it.” Of the Abbasid Caliphs, Harun ar-Rashid,
Al-Mamun and Mutadid Billah, are reported
to have invited doctors, philosophers, and
scholars from various parts of the world
to settle in Muslim cities and help in these
activities. They even bought some books by
paying for them in gold equivalent to their
weight.
Man’s most
important activity
being intellectual
contemplation or
reflection, he is not
supposed to blindly
follow any idea or
notion just because
it was attributed to
his ancestors or some
other authority.
This generous appreciation and support of the
state accelerated research work, and cultural
exchange through translation which reflected
on the general progress and development of
the entire Muslim world of the time. Spain,
under Muslim rule, witnessed a similar
progressive and developmental process.
A number of world renowned historians of science and civilization
(e.g. Hughman) have pointed out that Muslims’ contribution in the
development of natural sciences and philosophy were not merely
confined to translations from Greek, Persian, Indian, etc. For in view
of their inquisitive and critical mind-set, it was not possible for them
to accept Greek philosophy or any other sciences without an objective
analysis. The fervour shown in authentication of the Prophet’s words
was also in action in the field of natural science. Therefore, Muslim
scientists, doctors and other experts were able to remove so many
superstitious notions about nature and life that prevailed among the
Greek philosophers. On the other hand they proved to be creative
and innovative in the widest sense of the term. They sent missions for
exploring new lands. They established observatories. They corrected
many false concepts in astronomy, medicine, chemistry and physics. It
was the legacy of the Islamic civilization that reached Europe via Spain
after the fall of Granada in 1492 CE, which laid the foundation of the
Renaissance in the West.
Islam attaches such great importance to learning that the Quran says:
“Only those of His servants who possess knowledge, fear God.” ( 35: 28 )
Scholars are considered to be like angels ( 3: 18 ), in view of their potential
for discovering the oneness and the glory of the Creator. To inculcate
this importance of knowledge in the minds of the believers, the Prophet
observed that the worship of a learned man is a thousand times
better than that of the ignorant worshipper (Mustadrak al-Hakim). By
way of encouraging reflection on the universe and nature in order to
explore divine glories, the Prophet is reported to have said: “An hour of
reflection is better than a hundred years of worship without reflection.”
(Al-Bayhaqi)
It was this interrelatedness of knowledge and worship that made
the early Muslims seek and impart knowledge wholeheartedly and
religiously.
But knowledge for the sake of knowledge
as such may not be an acceptable notion
according to Islamic ideology. Instead, a
Muslim is supposed to seek knowledge for
the pleasure of his Lord on the one hand
and for the rendering of better services to
the welfare of humankind on the other. In
other words, the motto of education in Islam,
would be knowledge for the sake of serving
God and His creatures. That is why from the
very beginning almost equal attention has
been paid to the learning of both the religious
sciences and the worldly or secular sciences.
The spirit of enquiry
was the first and
foremost prerequisite
for the inauguration
of the scientific era
and the elimination
of a superstitious
outlook on nature
and life.
Imam Ghazali, noticing a lack of interest among the youth of his times
in learning medicine and other useful crafts and skills, issued a fatwa
that doctors, craftsmen, and experts of other human skills are not less
important than the scholars of fiqh, Hadith and pure religious sciences.
(Al-Qadimwaal Hadith, M. Kurd Ali). If the two-fold purpose of life is
to worship God and serve humankind, a believer cannot succeed in
achieving it unless he devotes all his potential to the acquisition of
religious and non-religious knowledge. Thus we may conclude that:
• Iqra being the first word revealed in the Quran, an intellectual
process was simultaneously started which we have called the
learning explosion.
The commandment of Iqra has been linked with the name of
God (Read in the name of your Sustainer). This connection has
provided at the very outset the Islamic concept of education, that
is, knowledge should not be sought for the sake of knowledge, but
for the sublime purpose of the realization of God and the welfare
of man.
• This two-fold purpose of life naturally calls for Muslims to strive
hard in seeking knowledge both related to their religion and
to the progress and development of the human condition in
general. Since the Quran and Hadith have made no discrimination
between men and women concerning their rights and duties,
the commandment of Iqra is equally inspiring and motivating to
womenfolk. Consequently, they also did their best and contributed
to this noble cause with the same spirit, fervour and dedication.
• The Quranic paradigm based on the concept of Tawhid has
changed the traditional approach to the universe and human life.
An intellectual revolution took place; superstitious thinking was
replaced by rationalistic, realistic and objective analysis. Thus in
the words of Henri Pirenne, Islam changed the face of the globe.
traditional order of human history was overthrown.
Dr. Farida Khanam
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